Download the full PDF here. The s in Algeria were tumultuous. Economic crisis drove widespread protests in the late s, which were followed by democratic political reforms, the victory of the Front Islamique du Salut FIS in the legislative elections, a rapid political breakdown, and a long and bloody civil war. These events have since continued to shape political developments not only in Algeria, but also in the broader Middle East region.
What remain to be clarified, though, are the longer-term consequences of this contentious period for economic and social welfare conditions in the country. What are the determinants of social sector investments in Algeria, and do political interests shape these distributions? To answer these questions, this paper explores the history of educational expansion under the autocratic regime that has ruled Algeria since its independence from France in The next section provides more context on the history of education in Algeria since independence.
However, in electoral districts that offered support to the oppositional Islamist FIS in , the gains over this period were more modest in comparison. These patterns are significant, and not only because they reveal some of the inner dynamics of the opaque Algerian state. They also demonstrate just how similar the country is to the rest of the MENA region, in that social policy processes, and education in particular, are not immune from the influence of politics.
Algeria became independent in following more than years of colonial rule. Prior to French conquest, education in Algeria took place primarily in madrasas Quranic schools. However, these religious schools were mostly disbanded by the colonial regime, and educational access became limited for the majority of the indigenous population. Consequently, at the eve of independence, only 10 percent of indigenous Algerians were literate, and less than a third of Algerian children actually attended school Benrabah , Heggoy The FLN, which had led the successful fight for freedom from France, formed the core of the single-party regime after independence was achieved.
This new socialist Algerian leadership viewed education as critical for enabling industrialization, improving inequality, and advancing economic development in Algeria Benziane They also considered education to be a useful tool for consolidating their political authority, in large part because it could help to facilitate the instilling of certain ideals about the Algerian national state and identity on impressionable young minds Cheriet To achieve these goals, the Algerian state made rapid and massive financial investments in education.
